Air Force's B-52 Modernization Effort Likely Faces 'Significant Challenges,' Government Report Says

By Elias Schisgall

A roughly $21 billion U.S. Air Force project to modernize Boeing-made B-52 bombers "will likely continue to face significant challenges" around engine replacements, according to a new government report.

A Friday report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said that of 13 continuing B-52 modernizations, 10 are experiencing cost, schedule or setback challenges. The most expensive modernization program, the Commercial Engine Replacement Program, faces particular risk, the report said.

"The Air Force is currently planning to begin production of the largest upgrade--the engine replacement--before critical flight testing," the report said. "By building engines before doing this testing, the Air Force increases the risk that the system will not operate as intended."

The Air Force already has been struggling to find parts to maintain the aircraft's current engines, and hasn't adequately planned for engine-replacement delays, the report said, adding that the agency may be missing opportunities to leverage efficiencies from digital engineering methods.

The report recommended that the Air Force delay decisions about producing replacement engines before analyzing recent cost increases and schedule delays and their effects on the program's risks and benefits.

An Air Force representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shares of Boeing, which makes the B-52, were down 3.8% as of midday Friday.

The B-52 aircraft were first made in 1955, and the modernization project is intended to keep them operational through 2050, according to the report. They have been used in U.S. campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have recently been used in missions over Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Last month, eight crew members on a B-52 aircraft used for testing died in a crash shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The aircraft that crashed was about 65 years old, retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula told the Journal at the time. The Air Force said the crash was under investigation.

Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 31, 2026 12:08 ET (16:08 GMT)